The geopolitical wrangling and heartburn over India’s mother of all defence deals, the lucrative $20 billion MMRCA (medium multi-role combat aircraft) project, is still not over. First, it was the Americans, then the Europeans and now, the Russians.
Even as India and France inch forward to stitch up the contract for acquisition of 126 Rafale fighters for the IAF, Russian ambassador Alexander Kadakin last week publicly questioned New Delhi’s decision to go in for the French jets. The Rafales can be “swatted like mosquitoes on an August night” by the Russian-origin Sukhoi-27s, now being inducted by China, said Kadakin.
On Wednesday, French ambassador Francois Richier criticized “grumpy competitors”, who had lost out in the MMRCA competition after extensive technical and commercial evaluation, for using “bad language” against Rafale’s combat capabilities.
The jet’s “long-range strike capabilities” stand out from other jets. With the MMRCA contract still to be inked after almost three years of final commercial negotiations between French major Dassault Aviation and the Indian defence establishment, rival fighters still harbor some hopes of flying back into the competition.
There can be “no comebacks” in the ongoing MMRCA project as per the Indian defence procurement policy rules. India can either ink the deal for the Rafales or scrap the entire MMRCA selection process undertaken over the last 7-8 years.
France hopes the final MMRCA negotiations will be concluded by early next year.
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